Air-Drying Your Face: is it really better for your skin?

Air-drying your face: have you heard of this? Have you tried it?

Okay, I consider myself well-versed in the world of skin care, but I just heard about this trend of air-drying your face and had to bring it to the blog.

The idea is to ditch the towel and let your face dry on its own, and people seem to have very strong opinions about it. Some swear it has done wonders for their skin, and others think it’s ludicrous. I’ll admit, I thought it sounded a bit silly right off the bat, but when it comes to skin care, I do my research no matter what!

At the forefront of this skin care trend is the case that air-drying is more hygienic and less abrasive.

Consultant dermatologist, Dr. Nick Lowe says, “If you’ve got any areas on your body, any follicle infections, that could then transfer from a towel on to the face. Air-drying will reduce the problem.” He also mentions that this trend mostly benefits those with dry or sensitive skin because “the less drying the better.”

While it’s true that towels can be a hotbed for bacteria, if you’re washing them regularly and not cross-contaminating (i.e. no sharing towels) there really shouldn’t be an issue, points out dermatologist Anjali Mahto who also gave her two cents on the subject. Remarking on Twitter: “I couldn’t actually believe this one was a real ‘thing’.”

Of course, I had to give this trend a try for myself, so the last few days I’ve been letting my face air-dry. And I’ll admit, it wasn’t as bad as I thought, although it was hard not to use the towel. It took a while to dry completely but it wasn’t dripping wet either. I think I’m going to stick with the pat-dry method, much less abrasive than rubbing and a whole lot more convenient.

That said, make sure you aren’t completely drying your face with the towel. Pat-dry, but leave it damp. This is because the skin is more permeable when moist, allowing the active ingredients in your skin care products to absorb better, working deeper and faster, and giving you better results.